The city of Rome was and still is one of the most famous cities in the world. It has always attracted many visitors for its attraction to the elaborate pagan temples or the eloquent cathedrals of Rome. Today, the city is known for being the center of the Catholic faith. The city is interesting in the sense that it was not always a Catholic hotspot. The city was originally under the control of the Romans who worshiped pagan gods. The Romans believed that Rome was a holy city chosen by their gods (Cowling). Moving from a pagan-centered place to a Christian-centered place was not such an easy transition for the city. It took time and perseverance. As Christian influence began to grow, the face of the Roman city began to change; the structure of the city was changed, the main public places changed, and at the same time the main monuments of the city changed. The city has changed so much that now, if you don't look closely enough, you might think it has always been under Christian influence. Even though the current city is under the church, its beginnings were not at all linked to Christianity. Old legend tells the reader that two brothers, Romulus and Remus, founded the city. In reality, groups of people settled in the seven hills and the population increased and the Roman population appeared (Trauman). From there, the city underwent various governing strategies, such as being a senatorial republic until finally being under the emperor (Cowling). It then became the capital of the Roman Empire. Even if the territory of the Roman periphery was very organized in a checkerboard pattern, this was not the case in the capital. The capital never followed a structure (Kostof 1991). Being built near the Tiber is the only strategy it f...... middle of paper ......htm.Mullin, Robert. A Brief World History of Christianity. Louisiville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008. http://books.google.com/books?id=2nWP0_6gkiYC&pg=PA54&dq=Conversion of Constantine to Christianity&hl=en&sa=X&ei=gNgCU8_BFqXC0gHZ6oD4DQ&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAgPBS, “The Roman Empire in the First Century” . Last edited 2006. Accessed February 2, 2014. http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/christians.html.Platner, Samuel. “Aedes Iovis Optimi Maximi Capitolini.” A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. (1929): 297-302. http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/PLATOP*/Aedes_Jovis_Capitolini.html (accessed February 2, 2014). Rob, Cowling. "BBC Rome A Story of the Eternal City 2 of 3 Divine Gamble." BBC Rome A History of the Eternal City. bbc.co.uk, April 19, 2013. Web, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFCmTt1LhYw.